TidBITS#968/09-Mar-09
=====================
Issue link:
Apple took control of the news cycle last week with a massive set of
releases, including notable updates to the Mac Pro, Mac mini, and
iMac, plus a minor speed bump for the 15-inch MacBook Pro. We have
details on all of these updates. Apple also pushed out new AirPort
Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule models, and our Wi-Fi expert
Glenn Fleishman explains what their new features will mean to you.
Joe Kissell wasn't as pleased with the update to AirPort Utility
5.4.1, and you can follow along as he troubleshoots a serious
problem and reports the results to Apple. In other news, Amazon
released free Kindle software for the iPhone and iPod touch, and
Adam and Doug McLean team up for a look at how the App Store
encourages iPhone users to remain iPhone users forever. Notable
software releases this week include Time Capsule and AirPort Base
Station Firmware Update 7.4.1, AirPort Utility 5.4.1, iLife Support
9.0.1, iPhoto 8.0.1, Firefox 3.0.7, PDFpen 4.1 and PDFpenPro 4.1,
AirPort Client Update 2009-001, Apple's Battery Update 1.4, Apple's
Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.5, Adobe Lightroom 2.3 and
Camera Raw 5.3, and Checkup 2.1.
Articles
Mac mini Receives Multiple Performance Boosts
Apple Refreshes iMac Line
New MacBook Pro Gets Tiny Speed Bump
New Mac Pro Uses Intel 'Nehalem' Xeon Processors
Apple Adds Petite Aluminum Keyboard
AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule: Like Two Base Stations in One
Hands on with a Dual Network AirPort Extreme Base Station
AirPort Utility 5.4.1 Update May Be Problematic
Amazon Releases Kindle Software for iPhone
High App Spending Points to iPhone Lock-in
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 09-Mar-09
ExtraBITS for 09-Mar-09
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk for 09-Mar-09
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Mac mini Receives Multiple Performance Boosts
---------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst
article link:
Apple updated the Mac mini last week, keeping the form factor of the
diminutive desktop Mac the same, but expanding most of the specs in
what appears to be a successful effort to keep the Mac mini a
compelling low-end desktop machine.
Although it will never compete with Apple's beefier desktop Macs,
the new Mac mini now offers the choice of a 2.0 GHz or a new 2.26
GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, dropping the previous 1.83 GHz
option. The new model sports a frontside bus speed of 1066 MHz (up
from 667 MHz) and 3 MB of on-chip L2 cache that will help boost
performance. Oddly, the latter spec is down from the previous 2.0
GHz Mac mini model, which offered 4 MB of L2 cache, though the
previous 1.83 GHz model had only 2 MB of L2 cache.
The Mac mini also now comes with an Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics
processor, much like the new MacBook line, leading to claims of
improved graphics performance of up to five times over the previous
Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics. However, the video card's memory
is still shared with the main memory, which reduces performance.
Also like the new MacBook line, the new Mac mini features a Mini
DisplayPort, but it also has a Mini-DVI port, and includes a
Mini-DVI to DVI adapter (a Mini-DVI to VGA adapter is sold
separately). The two ports mean that the Mac mini can now drive two
monitors, one at 1900 by 1200 on the DVI port, and another at up to
2560 by 1600 through the Mini DisplayPort connection, though driving
such a large monitor on the latter requires a separate Mini
DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter.
You can now put up to 4 GB of RAM in the Mac mini, and a new 320 GB
hard drive option joins the previous 120 GB option; 80 GB is no
longer offered. The new model also trades FireWire 400 for FireWire
800, and adds a fifth USB 2.0 port to the back panel. Bluetooth
2.1+EDR and Gigabit Ethernet remain standard, but Apple bumped the
new Mac mini's wireless capabilities up to 802.11n. A slot-loading
SuperDrive is now standard, eliminating the Combo drive option.
Apple is also pointing out that the Mac mini now uses less than 13
watts of power when idle, supposedly making it the world's most
energy-efficient desktop computer. Pricing on the new Mac mini
starts at $599, and even maxing out the processor, RAM, and hard
drive options brings it only to $1,049.
With this update, Apple has done a good job of addressing most of
the compromises and criticisms of the previous Mac mini. Sure, it
won't compete with the iMac in terms of performance, and attempting
to mimic the iMac's specs with a Mac mini would likely cost more in
the end for a slower Mac, but the Mac mini plays in a different
sandbox. For anyone who already has a monitor and keyboard, or wants
an inexpensive Mac to run a media center or home server, the Mac
mini no longer feels underpowered.
Apple Refreshes iMac Line
-------------------------
by Doug McLean
article link:
Apple has released updates to its popular consumer iMac line. Both
the 20- and 24-inch models have been updated with improved processor
speeds, graphics cards, memory capacities, and hard drives.
In its new base configuration, the 20-inch iMac sports a 2.66 GHz
processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 320 GB hard drive, and the same Nvidia
GeForce 9400M graphics processor that has been appearing elsewhere
in the Mac line of late. The updated model can support up to 8 GB of
RAM, and has 640 GB and 1 TB hard drives as options.
The 24-inch iMac now comes in three different configurations with
2.66 GHz, 2.93 GHz, and 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor speeds
(these options are nearly the same as the previous lineup, which
offered 2.66 GHz, 2.8 GHz, and 3.06 GHz configurations). The 24-inch
model also now comes standard with 4 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM
(upgradeable to 8 GB), which is double the previous amount, and
either a 640 GB or 1 TB hard drive.
The 2.66 GHz model of the 24-inch iMac has the same Nvidia GeForce
9400M graphics processor as the 20-inch version, but the 2.93 GHz
model uses the GeForce GT 120 with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory, and the
3.06 GHz model relies on the GeForce GT 130 with 512 MB of GDDR3
memory. You can also configure these latter two with the ATI Radeon
HD 4850 discrete graphics processor, with 512 MB of memory.
As usual, all the new iMacs come with the built-in iSight camera,
microphone, and speakers. Also included is Apple's Mini DisplayPort
for connecting a second monitor, built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n,
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports (with an
additional two ports on the wired keyboard), and one FireWire 800
port (dropping the previous FireWire 400 port).
The price point for the base 2.66 GHz 20-inch model remains the same
at $1,199, but Apple now offers the 2.66 GHz 24-inch model for
$1,499, which is $300 cheaper than the previous revision. The 2.93
GHz model comes in at $1,799, and the 3.06 GHz model costs $2,199.
Although all these changes are welcome, they're by no means
earth-shattering. In some ways, the most interesting change is the
addition of the now-standard Mini DisplayPort, making it possible to
connect Apple's 24-inch LED Cinema Display to the iMac. That said,
the 24-inch LED Cinema Display still seems aimed directly at the
MacBook line, given its triple-headed cable, and it doesn't appear
that the 24-inch LED Cinema Display and 24-inch iMac will sit at the
same vertical height, making the combination less than ideal.
New MacBook Pro Gets Tiny Speed Bump
------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst
article link:
Almost lost among all of Apple's other recent announcements was the
tiny speed bump for the 15-inch MacBook Pro. Previously available in
three configurations - Intel Core 2 Duo processors running at 2.4
GHz, 2.53 GHz, and 2.8 GHz - the MacBook Pro now replaces the top
two options with 2.66 GHz and 2.93 GHz processors. Prices and all
other specifications remain the same.
Well, that's it. Nothing more to see here, move along.
New Mac Pro Uses Intel 'Nehalem' Xeon Processors
------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst
article link:
Whereas Apple's other recent Mac announcements ranged from the
highly welcome (the Mac mini) to the nice (the iMac) to the barely
noticeable (the MacBook Pro), the new Mac Pro is far more
significant despite the lack of outward changes to its aluminum
shell.
**Faster, More Capable CPUs** -- Leading the way is the switch to the
"Nehalem" family of Intel Xeon processors, in either a single or
dual quad-core CPU configuration, for a total of either four or
eight cores. The quad-core Mac Pro is available in either a 2.66 GHz
or 2.93 GHz configuration, whereas the 8-core model adds a low-end
2.26 GHz model.
But performance isn't all about clock speed, and in fact, these new
processors run at slower clock speeds than the models they replace.
Apple claims that the new Mac Pros will be nearly twice as fast as
the previous generation of Mac Pros, thanks to a single-die
architecture that keeps cached data on the chip as it travels from
core to core. Also helping boost performance is an integrated memory
controller that gives the processor faster access to data in RAM,
reducing memory latency by up to 40 percent.
Three other technologies also contribute to the performance
increase. Turbo Boost is a dynamic performance technology that
automatically increases the clock speed of active cores by up to 0.4
GHz (increasing a 2.93 GHz chip to 3.33 GHz, for instance), based on
workload. Turbo Boost also shuts off idle cores, presumably saving
power when it's not needed.
Also new is Hyper-Threading, which lets two threads run
simultaneously on each core, enabling the Mac Pro to present Mac OS
X with what appears to be 16 cores and letting the processor take
advantage of resources available in each core. We suspect that Snow
Leopard, the next version of Mac OS X, will make more of this
processing power generally available to applications.
Lastly, the new Mac Pro uses a bidirectional, point-to-point
connection technology called QuickPath Interconnect to connect the
processor to the disk, I/O, and other subsystems. QuickPath
Interconnect is also used to connect the two quad-core processors,
keeping processor-to-processor data from being slowed down by
traversing the I/O hub.
**Enhanced Graphics** -- Given the Mac Pro's status in the high-end
graphics world, it's not surprising that Apple enhanced its graphics
capabilities as well, making Mini DisplayPort standard at the same
time. The default graphics card is the Nvidia GeForce GT 120 with
512 MB of GDDR3 memory, and Apple claims it provides up to three
times the performance of the previous Mac Pro standard graphics
card.
For those who need even more graphics power, the ATI Radeon HD 4870
with 512 MB of GDDR5 memory is a $200 option, providing up to five
times the performance of the previous generation ATI Radeon HD 2600
XT with 256 MB GDDR3 memory. This card is also available on its own
as a $349 upgrade for the older Mac Pro (Early 2008) models, giving
them a Mini DisplayPort connection and faster graphics performance.
Both cards offer Mini DisplayPort and a dual-link DVI port and (with
appropriate adapters) can drive two monitors at up to 2560 by 1600
pixels. Since the Mac Pro has three additional PCI Express 2.0 slots
(two x4 slots and one x16 slot), you could put up to four video
cards in a Mac Pro and drive eight 30-inch displays. That's
32,768,000 pixels, for those who are counting. If you have to ask
how much all those pixels would cost, you can't afford it.
**Other Specs** -- On the storage side, the new Mac Pros ship with
either 640 GB or 1 TB hard drives (previously, the options were 500
GB, 750 GB, and 1 TB), and an 18x SuperDrive (slightly improved from
the previous 16x SuperDrive). Blu-ray support is still missing. As
before, the Mac Pro can hold up to four hard drives and two
SuperDrives. Drive pricing is still significantly higher than
pricing from independent resellers.
6 GB of RAM is standard across the board, with support for up to 32
GB. Apple's RAM prices have dropped, making it easier to justify
buying RAM from Apple rather than from an independent reseller,
although maxing out with 32 GB of RAM will still set you back a
hefty $6,100.
FireWire 400 has disappeared entirely, and there are now four
FireWire 800 ports, two on the front panel, and two in back. Five
USB 2.0 ports (plus two on the wired keyboard) remain standard, as
does the built-in Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, the pair of Gigabit Ethernet
ports, and the optional AirPort Extreme 802.11n card. Also unchanged
are the front-panel headphone minijack and internal speaker, the
optical digital audio input and output TOSLINK ports, and the analog
stereo line-level input and output minijacks.
**Pricing** -- The base quad-core model of the new Mac Pro starts at
$2,499, $300 less than before, and the 8-core model starts at
$3,299. Although Apple's RAM prices are reasonable and hard drive
prices a bit high, where you'll really increase the tab is by adding
faster processors. Jumping from two 2.26 GHz CPUs to a pair of 2.66
GHz processors costs $1,400, and going all the way to two 2.93 GHz
processors increases the price by $2,600.
With these updates, Apple continues to push the Mac Pro beyond what
used to be considered the "professional" market and into the
workstation market. The iMac and Mac mini now offer sufficient
capabilities for most professionals. But for those whose jobs
involve high-end graphics, audio, or video, or the use of scientific
and engineering software that will happily take as many cores and as
much RAM as it can, the new Mac Pro has power to burn.
I fall squarely into that first category. Three weeks ago, I
purchased the previous generation Mac Pro, not because I needed its
full power, but because I needed something that could run a matched
pair of 24-inch monitors, since for me, productivity scales directly
with screen real estate. Ironically, had I been able to wait for all
these updates, the Mac mini might almost have been sufficient for my
needs. I say "almost" because the maximum RAM ceiling of 4 GB in the
Mac mini might have been too limiting.
Apple Adds Petite Aluminum Keyboard
-----------------------------------
by Tonya Engst
article link:
Apple last week released a new Apple Keyboard, which offers Apple's
sleek aluminum look and two extra USB 2.0 ports, but no numeric
keypad. The keyboard costs $49 and requires that you be running at
least Mac OS X 10.5.6 Leopard.
In the recent past, if you wanted a small aluminum keyboard from
Apple, you had to purchase the $79 Bluetooth-based wireless
keyboard. It eschews a numeric keypad and suffers from the hassle of
dealing with batteries and Bluetooth, though it does eliminate a
cable from your life.
The new Apple Keyboard is noteworthy for people buying a new iMac
because it's the default option when you shop from Apple. For the
moment, though, you can substitute the Apple Keyboard with Numeric
Keypad at no extra charge (the default situation is reversed for Mac
Pro purchasers). For those buying a Mac mini, both keyboards cost
the same. The Apple Wireless Keyboard costs an extra $30.
AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule: Like Two Base Stations in One
------------------------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman
article link:
An update to Apple's two higher-end Wi-Fi base stations enables a
single gateway to serve any connected device at the highest possible
speed. The trick? Apple stuck two radios in its latest AirPort
Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule models, while keeping prices
the same. The new models also offer an intriguing guest network
feature. Alas, official support for Time Machine backups to an
AirPort Extreme with an external hard drive remains lacking.
A firmware update for all 802.11n-capable base stations adds Back to
My Mac support for remote file sharing with any AirPort Extreme Base
Station or Time Capsule, and remote configuration via AirPort
Utility to those models and the AirPort Express.
**Dual-Band Networks** -- The choice facing anyone setting up a new
Wi-Fi network is which of two spectrum bands to use, obscure as that
sounds. In most countries, including the United States, the 2.4 GHz
and 5 GHz bands are both available for use for Wi-Fi. The 2.4 GHz
band is crowded: it's used by microwave ovens, cordless phones,
Bluetooth, and many other purposes; and there's not much spectrum in
the allotted range. The 802.11b and 802.11g (original AirPort and
pre-2007 AirPort Extreme) standards can use only 2.4 GHz. The iPhone
and iPod touch include 802.11g hardware.
The 5 GHz band is wide open, with several times the spectrum and far
fewer conflicting uses. The 802.11n standard that Apple has offered
since February 2007 can use either band, but 5 GHz is better for
closer, denser networks because network throughput can be up to
several times better than in 2.4 GHz. The Apple TV and nearly all
Macs released since October 2006 include 802.11n support. (The Mac
mini was finally updated last week to offer 802.11n.)
With last week's update to the AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time
Capsule, you no longer need to make a choice or connect two
different base stations to get the best features of both bands:
backwards compatibility with 2.4 GHz and throughput for 5 GHz. The
revised models offer simultaneous dual-band networking at the same
price as previous models: $179 for the Gigabit Ethernet AirPort
Extreme, $299 for a Time Capsule with a 500 GB drive, and $499 for a
1 TB Time Capsule. The $99 AirPort Express base station remains
unchanged, with support for either spectrum band, but only one at a
time.
(I don't currently recommend purchasing a Time Capsule for three
reasons: First, I and others have experienced Time Machine disk
image corruption repeatedly with no explanation, and no alternative
but to delete older images. Second, Time Machine has proved
unreliable for me in three separate installations. Third, the
premium Apple charges for its server-grade - meaning, more reliable
- drives is far too high compared to purchasing the same class of
drives separately. I suggest referring to Joe Kissell's "Take
Control of Mac OS X Backups" for alternative network-based backup
solutions.)
The advantage of using both spectrum bands is that slower, older
devices can use the pokier 2.4 GHz band, while video streaming and
file transfers among computers with 802.11n or an Apple TV can zoom
along as much as three to five times faster in the 5 GHz band. The 5
GHz band's signals don't penetrate or carry as far as those in 2.4
GHz, however, making it more appropriate for closer networking.
In a briefing, Apple explained that you can give the 2.4 GHz and 5
GHz networks the same name, and Apple hardware that supports 802.11n
can choose which network to join based on quality of the signal and
the speed that's available. This feature is unique to Apple gear;
Windows and other platforms select somewhat randomly from available
networks with the same name.
You can also name the two bands' networks separately, and manually
force 802.11n clients to join the 5 GHz network.
It's worth noting that older base stations cannot be updated to
support simultaneous dual-band networking because Apple added a
second radio to these new models. All previous 802.11n models have a
single radio that can be switched to use either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.
**Guest Networks** -- Apple also added an intriguing guest access
feature to both the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule. With a guest
network active, the base station broadcasts a second network name
for visitors (a password is optional). Multiple network names are
typically supported on corporate-oriented equipment; this is known
as a virtual SSID (service set identifier), the technical name for a
Wi-Fi's broadcast network identity.
Those connected to the guest network have access only to the
Internet; local hard drives and network traffic are locked out. A
separate, advanced option lets you set whether or not guests can see
each other's network traffic, such as Bonjour discovery messages for
shared volumes or iChat.
Note that you cannot configure the guest network to have different
names for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The guest network must have
the same name for both bands. Nor can you disable one of the bands
for guest access without disabling the main network on that band as
well.
As with the dual-band support, the guest network feature will not be
made available to older base stations.
**Remote Access with MobileMe** -- The update includes one last
addition: a MobileMe tab that, when filled in with an active
account, turns a base station into another accessible device from
any Leopard system with Back to My Mac enabled. Back to My Mac
creates a secure tunnel between any two devices using the same
account credentials. This is the first time Apple has extended Back
to My Mac beyond Leopard. (Normal provisos about Back to My Mac
requiring a publicly reachable IP address on the gateway still
apply.)
The Back to My Mac support works initially with two networked
features: file sharing from internal or attached hard drives, and
remote configuration via AirPort Utility.
A reader reported that his remote Time Capsule made its drive
available to Time Machine, but that no backup was possible. Apple
advised me that even if a user were to figure out a way to make this
work, the backup time would be prohibitive because of how Time
Machine creates a duplicate directory for each snapshot, involving a
huge number of disk transactions.
The good news is that this feature, unlike the other additions to
the new models, applies to any 802.11n base station Apple released,
which is every model starting in 2007 via a firmware update released
last week (see below). Because the AirPort Express doesn't support
plugging in hard drives, it won't gain file-sharing support.
A system with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and a MobileMe account is
required. The same account must be logged in at the base station and
on the computer from which you're trying to access the base station.
**Software Updates and Troubles** -- Older 802.11n base stations -
those that were released in 2007 or later - require the 7.4.1
firmware update that was released a few days after the new base
stations were announced. Apple also pushed out AirPort Utility 5.4.1
and Leopard client software changes that enable Mac OS X to make the
smartest band choice.
Launch AirPort Utility and it will either notify you of the new
firmware, or you can select Check for Updates from the AirPort
Utility menu. The update may also be downloaded directly from
Apple's Web site, and then installed via the Upload Firmware item in
the Base Station menu in AirPort Utility. (The update includes bug
and security fixes, too.)
You can get the AirPort Utility and client updates via Software
Update or from Apple's site: AirPort Utility for Mac OS X 10.4 or
later (17.4 MB), AirPort Utility for Windows XP (SP2 or later) or
Vista (10.9 MB), and AirPort Client Update 2009-001 for 10.5.6 or
later (2 MB) are all available. There is no Tiger client update.
Joe Kissell had some trouble with the AirPort Utility 5.4.1 software
and an older firmware release on his Time Capsule, which he figured
out how to solve in "AirPort Utility 5.4.1 Update May Be
Problematic," 2009-03-05.
I was unable to get AirPort Utility to download the new firmware for
my new simultaneous dual band base station at home, but was able to
get MobileMe to work. Using remote access to my work machine, I used
AirPort Utility at work to upgrade the firmware at home! Crazy, but
it did the trick.
Hands on with a Dual Network AirPort Extreme Base Station
---------------------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman
article link:
My new AirPort Extreme Base Station has arrived, and my first
thought was: how did they do it? By squeezing two radios into the
same box, Apple needed to revise AirPort Utility to let those two
radios be set separately for certain options. Let's take a look.
(See "AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule: Like Two Base Stations in One,"
2009-03-03, for product details.)
From the start, you can see this is a different animal. The summary
screen shows a line for "2.4 GHz/5 GHz AirPort IDs," and the Channel
item lists the two channels in use.
In the AirPort pane's Wireless tab, you can also see the complexity
of trying to make this all work right. The Radio Mode pop-up menu
shows, by default, just three choices - Automatic, and a backwards
compatible pairing of 802.11a/n for 5 GHz and 802.11b/g for 2.4 GHz.
Automatic, for me, chose 802.11a/n and 802.11b/g/n.
But what if you want a bit more control? Hold down the Option key
and hold onto your socks. The full matrix of compatibility appears.
Because few people have 802.11a devices, which were originally
released mostly for corporate office use, you could opt for 802.11n
only (5 GHz) and 802.11b/g/n for 2.4 GHz.
To choose channels manually, choose Manual from the Channel
Selection pop-up menu, which reveals the current channels in an
information item underneath, and presents an Edit button. Click
that, and the Radio Channels dialog lets you choose directly for
each radio. You might need this option if you have existing networks
or interference that you know of, and would rather override an
automatic assignment. (Automatic channel selection should avoid
these problems, but sometimes it's best to put a pin on what you
want.)
Now what about naming these networks separately? Click the Wireless
Options button in the Wireless tab, and the same-named dialog
appears with a new checkbox at the top: 5 GHz Network Name. Check
that box, and enter a name, and you have two distinct entities,
between which a Wi-Fi adapter won't roam automatically.
Guest Network options get their own tab in the AirPort pane. Click
it, and then you can check the Enable Guest Network box to turn it
on. A second checkbox lets you choose whether guests can
"communicate with each other," which means whether the base station
passes Bonjour messages and other local network traffic.
You can choose only three encryption options: None, WPA/WPA2
Personal, or WPA2 Personal. (802.11n doesn't allow for the use of
WEP, and 802.11n devices must support WPA2.)
The Guest Network settings require a restart of the base station to
load the new settings, so it's something you won't casually turn on
and off. Once on, the network appears as a uniquely named item in
the AirPort menu.
Finally, the last of the new features is revealed in the Advanced
pane in the MobileMe tab. It's simple: Enter your MobileMe account
name and password, and then click Update. When the base station
restarts, hard drives inside the Time Capsule and external drives
attached to either base station model should be available to any
Leopard system with the same MobileMe account active that also has
Back to My Mac turned on.
When you launch AirPort Utility on any such Leopard system, the
remote base station appears with an IPv6 address - Back to My Mac
uses IPv6 as part of its system - and you can configure it just as
if you're on the same network, without knowing the IP address.
As the author of "Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network," you
can imagine that I'm rather passionately interested in these
changes. I'll be updating the book as soon as I can to reflect all
the changes in the setup assistant (not shown in this article),
AirPort Utility, and how you plan an Apple-based Wi-Fi network!
AirPort Utility 5.4.1 Update May Be Problematic
-----------------------------------------------
by Joe Kissell
article link:
As I mentioned in "Take Control of Maintaining Your Mac," I'm the
sort of person who compulsively applies every new software update
the minute it becomes available, but that doesn't mean I recommend
this practice to others. Any update can contain bugs, and a few of
Apple's releases over the years have had some truly significant
ones, so I suggest that most people wait a few days before
installing updates to see what the word on the street is. Well, I
may have just encountered one of those cases in which an update is
significantly worse than the previous version, and I want to tell
you what I've discovered to help you avoid some potential grief. (At
the same time, I want to show you how to go about tracking down the
source of a problem, and what to do with that information.) The
software in question is version 5.4.1 of Apple's AirPort Utility,
released on 03-Mar-09.
Let me share my experience with you. I installed the new version of
the AirPort Utility on my main Mac, a fully loaded 17" MacBook Pro
(running, naturally, the latest version of Mac OS X and everything
else). Then I opened it, selected my Time Capsule in the list on the
left (last year's model, not one of the new dual-band models), and
clicked the Manual Setup button to make a few changes to my
configuration. After a minute or so with "Reading Configuration"
shown in the window, an unhelpful error message appeared, suggesting
that I make sure my Apple wireless device is plugged in and in range
or connected via Ethernet and try again. Well, it was not only in
range, it was already directly connected to my MacBook Pro via
Ethernet. So I did try again - and also tried clicking the Continue
button rather than the Manual Setup button - but got the same
results.
**Looking for Clues** -- I wanted to determine whether my Time
Capsule, my Mac, or the software was at fault, so I conducted a
series of experiments. I tried launching the previous version of
AirPort Utility on another Mac on which I had not yet installed the
update, and it worked just fine. Then I ran the update on that
computer - which is also directly connected to the Time Capsule via
Ethernet - and encountered the same problem as on the MacBook Pro. I
copied the older version of AirPort Utility back onto my MacBook
Pro, and it worked correctly. So I had preliminary evidence that the
new version of AirPort Utility, and not my hardware, was at fault.
But I still had to confirm that my Time Capsule wasn't
malfunctioning. I tried restarting it; I also tried a soft reset,
disconnecting and reconnecting the power, and then a hard reset.
After each attempt, I checked to see if AirPort Utility 5.4.1 would
successfully read the configuration, but it never did. I also tried
both old and new versions of the AirPort Utility on a third Mac, and
got exactly the same results. (All the while, by the way, my Time
Capsule itself functioned correctly - both as a shared disk and as
an AirPort base station.)
Still, I realized my Time Capsule could have some subtle error that
these tests didn't reveal, so I then tried the same test with an
AirPort Extreme Base Station and got exactly the same results.
AirPort Utility 5.3.2 could read its configuration, but AirPort
Utility 5.4.1 could not.
Since AirPort Utility 5.4.1 had failed on three different Macs and
two different base stations that were otherwise working perfectly,
while AirPort Utility 5.3.2 had worked with the same three Macs and
the same two base stations, the evidence pointed to a bug in AirPort
Utility 5.4.1 that prevents it from reading the configuration of
existing AirPort base stations and Time Capsules, even when directly
connected via Ethernet. This wasn't a serious problem for me, since
I'd already discovered a workaround in my testing, but I knew it
could be a serious problem for other people. Unless you can get past
the "Read Configuration" step, you can't change anything at all
about your device's settings. If you encounter this problem and are
unlucky enough not to have a backup of the old version (you _do_
have backups, don't you?), you could be in trouble.
**The Plot Thickens** -- I checked in with Glenn Fleishman, our
resident expert on all things Wi-Fi, to see if he'd heard about this
problem, but he hadn't. So I first filed a bug report with Apple -
which I strongly recommend that everyone do when encountering a
reproducible problem with an Apple product. In order to use Apple's
Bug Reporter, you must be a member of the Apple Developer
Connection, but that doesn't mean you have to be a developer, or pay
any money. Anyone can sign up for a free membership, and it's
worthwhile even if only for the ability to file bug reports. (By the
way, if you file your own bug report and want to reference mine, its
tracking number is 6650938.)
I assumed that my report would go into Apple's "Get Around to It One
of These Days" pile, so I next wrote an earlier version of this
article for TidBITS, partly as a way of warning people who hadn't
yet upgraded to be circumspect, and partly to see how widespread the
problem was. I got quite a bit of feedback. Numerous people said
they'd upgraded with no problems at all. A few people said they
experienced the same symptoms I did, or similar ones. And a few
others said they had different problems, such as AirPort Express
base stations not showing up at all in the new AirPort Utility or
MAC address filtering no longer working.
One reader suggested I try connecting remotely to his AirPort
Extreme Base Station with my copy of AirPort Utility 5.4.1 (if a
base station is configured to allow setup over the Internet using
Bonjour, another user can access it by choosing File > Configure
Other and entering the remote base station's domain name or IP
address and password). Surprisingly enough, that worked. Another
reader said he'd used the Configure Other command on his own base
station that wasn't responding - he simply entered its local IP
address (which is usually 10.0.0.1 or 192.168.0.1). So this
information added a new twist: even if AirPort Utility 5.4.1 is
faulty, at least it offered another way to configure one's base
station, and it seemed as though one's network configuration may
also play a role in the problem.
A day or two after the new AirPort Utility appeared, Apple released
a new version (7.4.1) of the firmware for Time Capsules and AirPort
base stations - you can download and install it from within AirPort
Utility. I decided to apply the firmware update to my Time Capsule
(which was still using the previous firmware version, 7.3.2) to see
if it changed anything. The new version of AirPort Utility wouldn't
let me install the firmware update - but the old version did. With
the new firmware, my copy of AirPort Utility 5.4.1 could once again
happily configure my Time Capsule and my AirPort Extreme.
So I'd found two workarounds (reverting to the older version of
AirPort Utility or using the Configure Other command) as well as
what appeared to be a lasting solution (applying the new firmware
update using the older AirPort Utility). For me the problem was
gone, though of course it may still exist for other people.
To my utter shock and delight, I also received two different email
messages from Apple within 24 hours, asking for more information
about my setup, and requesting that I perform some additional tests.
I don't know whether Apple has been able to reproduce the problem or
if a fix is in the works, but at least they are aware of the issue
and, it appears, actively investigating it.
**The Bottom Line** -- What's the moral of the story? I'd like you to
take away the following three things:
* Waiting a few days before installing software updates is a smart
thing to do. Let compulsive updaters like me try them out first and
see if there are any significant problems. If you don't hear
anything within a few days from sources like TidBITS, chances are
the update is fine.
* This particular update does seem to have some problems, for some
users. If you've already installed the update and you encounter
difficulties, try one of the solutions I described here. If you
haven't yet updated, you might consider waiting another week or two
to see if Apple releases any new information.
* If you have a problem with an Apple product, file a bug report.
Don't expect Apple to "just know" about a bug or to read all the
discussion forums on the Internet looking for problem reports. Tell
them. It's easy to do, and they really do pay attention to those
reports. (The same, of course, goes for any product - if you have
problems, inform the developer, who's in the best possible position
to fix it and who may not know about it otherwise. And of course,
software makers should always provide a direct method for users to
send this sort of feedback, something that's unfortunately not yet
universal.)
Amazon Releases Kindle Software for iPhone
------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman
article link:
The other shoe has dropped: Amazon last week released Kindle for
iPhone, a free application that provides access to the catalog of
books available for purchase for Amazon's dedicated hardware device,
the Kindle 2. (See "Kindle 2 Improves Design, Not Features,"
2009-02-26, for a review.)
Once you provide your Amazon account name and password, and the
software has logged into your Amazon account, any books that you
have purchased through the Kindle store appear in an Archived
folder. You can select any book in that folder and it's immediately
downloaded and stored on your iPhone or iPod touch.
If you already own or have owned a Kindle and purchased books,
Amazon has - as expected - tied these purchases to your account
rather than to the device. This is how Amazon treats its Video on
Demand service, providing you a media library instead of delivering
files, a distinct difference from purchases made from Apple's iTunes
Store. Lose an iTunes file, and Apple won't replace it without you
jumping through hoops. Delete a Kindle file or Video on Demand file
from a device, and you can simply download it again.
You can buy books via Amazon using any Web browser, through the
Kindle, or, although Amazon discourages it for reasons of
awkwardness, via Safari on the iPhone. Books purchased through any
means are available on both Kindle hardware and software.
The iPhone Kindle app offers the same straightforward and simple
approach as the Kindle hardware. It provides a slider to page
through the book, an add bookmark button to note the current page, a
bookmark button to zoom to particular places in a book or marks
you've noted, and a text size control.
Text is quite legible. The application has the same problem that the
Kindle 2 contends with: publishers apparently control whether to
allow text to be fully justified (flush against left and right
margins, no matter the width), or flush left with a ragged right,
traditionally more legible for narrower columns. Full justification
often results in strangely spaced lines of text, with rivers of
white in lines that contain only longer words. Some sensible
publishers opt for flush left justification, which along with
hyphenation, seems more appropriate.
Amazon uses what it calls Whispersync (a counterpart to its
Whispernet download system) to ensure that you find yourself at the
same page in the book you left off at if you read using multiple
devices. A sync button helps you make sure that you have the latest
page in front of you, too, and the software alerts you if your click
of the sync button was unnecessary, too.
The unfortunate omission of magazine, newspaper, and blog
subscriptions may be temporary, or it might be intentional to avoid
conflicts with Apple about paid subscription content. No information
has surfaced regarding any deal allowing Amazon to sell content
through a free iPhone app, something that requires special
permission from Apple.
Kindle for iPhone is a bit of a game changer. Overnight, 240,000
books are suddenly available for the iPhone through a free
application. This might also signal that Apple has no plans to enter
the electronic book reader market - otherwise, why allow Amazon to
set up a beachhead?
High App Spending Points to iPhone Lock-in
------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst , Doug McLean
article link:
Recently, the technology research firm ABI released a report about
U.S. smartphone application purchases. Surveying 235 customers, the
company found that 17 percent of users who downloaded applications
onto their smartphones spent upwards of $100 in 2008. That's an
astounding figure when you consider the low cost of most smartphone
applications. In Apple's App Store, for instance, most apps sell for
$1 to $5, with few costing more than $25. However, these findings
don't represent just Apple's sales, and applications for other
platforms are typically priced between $7 and $25.
But what's really interesting about this survey's results is that it
shows just why the App Store and a thriving collection of
independent developers are absolutely essential to the long-term
success of the iPhone. Historically, mobile phone users have been
targeted by carrier lock-in - buy a Verizon Wireless subsidized
phone, for instance, and you'll probably end up signing a two-year
contract. You can switch to any other phone that works with Verizon
Wireless during those two years (often with a contract extension, to
boot), but you can't switch to a different carrier without paying a
hefty cancellation fee. That's led the mobile phone manufacturers to
produce a wide range of phones, to keep users continually buying new
models while sticking with the same carrier.
With the iPhone, Apple is changing the game, because carrier lock-in
helps AT&T, not Apple, and Apple isn't content to be just another
mobile phone maker subject to the whims of the carriers. Instead,
Apple is applying lessons learned from the Macintosh world to the
mobile phone industry, and using the App Store and its applications
as a way of generating platform lock-in on top of AT&T's contractual
carrier lock-in.
Platform lock-in occurs when a customer becomes committed primarily
to the phone's software, as opposed to its carrier's service. If
you've bought $200 worth of applications for your smartphone, you're
much less likely to switch to a different model in the future. In
short, high spending on smartphone apps ensures long-term platform
loyalty.
This is the genius of the App Store: By creating a thriving
marketplace for developers, Apple has created a huge reason for
customers to stick with the iPhone no matter what cool new features
appear in competing smartphones like the forthcoming Palm Pre.
Following this logic, it's arguably in Apple's best interest for
developers to do well across the board, since the more apps we buy
for our iPhones, the less likely we are to switch to different
phones at the end of the two-year AT&T contract. So far, however,
Apple hasn't done all it could to support a wide range of
developers, instead setting things up such that a small number of
trivial apps tend to rise to the top of the App Store lists,
preventing more serious apps from gaining much-needed exposure. A
cheap joke app is currently far more likely to make it into the top
app lists than a focused productivity app, but joke apps like iBeer
or iSteam won't keep iPhone users loyal to the platform.
Once an app drops out of the top lists, it's nearly invisible.
Imagine spending months and thousands of dollars developing a
product, only to have it be utterly lost in a sea of similar apps.
James Thomson, developer of the scientific calculator PCalc, has
written a bunch about how hard it can be to get iPhone apps noticed.
Concerns like this about the effectiveness of the marketplace inform
and reflect the platform's health. The happier developers are with
selling their products in the App Store, the more apps are developed
for it and sold to users, and the stronger Apple's platform lock-in
becomes.
To go further, Apple has an ace up its sleeve that competing mobile
phone platforms won't be able to beat - Macintosh-savvy developers
who make iPhone apps that are useful on their own, but become even
more useful in conjunction with Mac software. Look at the task
managers Things or OmniFocus, for instance, which enhance the
functionality of Things and OmniFocus on the Mac and the loss of
which would significantly deter an iPhone user from leaving the
fold. Even the free Keyboard Maestro Control falls into that
category - anyone who becomes accustomed to executing macros on the
Mac from an iPhone won't want to give that up for a different phone.
Anything Apple can do to encourage such Mac-iPhone connections will
pay off down the line.
In addition to making it easier for apps to be noticed in the App
Store, Apple would significantly benefit from introducing the
concept of the free trial in the App Store. Since users can't try
apps before purchasing them, many people simply won't purchase an
unknown app. That's led to the rise of innumerable free "lite"
versions that effectively act as demos but further clutter the App
Store. Worse, when people do purchase an app without having been
able to test it first, it's not uncommon to learn that the app
wasn't appropriate after all, and so it falls into disuse.
Such a behavior pattern ultimately hinders platform lock-in, which
should concern Apple. Pinch Media produced a study that confirms the
notion that people tend to stop using most apps shortly after
purchasing or downloading them. If most apps are used only a couple
of times before being abandoned, it means people actually have very
little that would be missed were they to switch to a new phone. By
helping customers make smarter purchasing decisions via free trials,
Apple would likely increase the number of keeper applications on a
user's iPhone. Additionally, the ability to try apps for free would
almost certainly result in users finding and purchasing apps they
might have otherwise left unexplored, further increasing the value
of the iPhone platform.
At the end of the day, what's best for the iPhone marketplace is
what's best for Apple. The App Store is a tightly knit ecosystem of
needs and wants of developers and customers, but unlike most
ecosystems, Apple's strong control means that the App Store can't
evolve organically. As such, to help guarantee the long term success
of the iPhone no matter what competition appears, Apple will have to
do its best to ensure the satisfaction of both users and developers.
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 09-Mar-09
---------------------------------------------------------
by Doug McLean
article link:
Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.4.1 from
Apple is a maintenance update that includes various bug and security
fixes. The security threats addressed include ones that could lead
to an unexpected device shutdown, a denial of service attack, the
observation of a private network's traffic, or the injection of
forged packets. Apple recommends that AirPort Utility 5.4.1 or later
be installed before installing this update, which is available via
AirPort Utility or from the Apple Support Downloads page. (Free
update, 17.4 MB)
AirPort Utility 5.4.1 from Apple is the latest version of the
AirPort base station management utility, adding features necessary
to support the dual-band network, guest network, and MobileMe-based
remote access features of the just-updated AirPort Extreme base
station and Time Capsule. The update is available via Software
Update or from the Apple Support Downloads page. (Free update, 17.4
MB)
iLife Support 9.0.1 from Apple is an update recommended for all
users of Aperture, iLife '09, and iWork '09. Unfortunately, its
release notes are terse, saying only that it "Improves overall
stability and addresses a number of other minor issues." The update
is available via Software Update or from the Apple Support Downloads
page. (Free update, 50.56 MB)
iPhoto 8.0.1 from Apple is a maintenance update to iPhoto '09
(thanks for the confusing version numbers, Apple!) that improves
stability and addresses minor issues regarding Internet
connectivity, keyword imports, and slideshow exports. The update is
available via Software Update or from the Apple Support Downloads
page. (Free update, 11.9 MB)
Firefox 3.0.7 from Mozilla is a maintenance update to the popular
Web browser with changes focusing on various security and stability
issues. Stability issues addressed include a bug that caused cookies
to go missing after a few days, a bug that prevented the Flashblock
plug-in's audio from stopping when the corresponding window had been
closed, and a bug that caused items in the File menu to show as
inactive after choosing the Print command. There is also now support
for the Estonian, Kannada, and Telugu languages. Finally, several
critical security patches have been issued, including one that
addresses memory corruption resulting from crashing. (Free update,
17.2 MB)
PDFpen 4.1 and PDFpenPro 4.1 from SmileOnMyMac are the latest
versions of the PDF editing utilities. In both versions there is now
a Continuous option in the View menu that enables users to scroll
through a PDF document continuously and thus view multiple pages at
once. Also added is AppleScript support for OCR and a handful of
minor bug fixes. (49.95/$99.95, free updates, 12.1 MB/12.3 MB)
AirPort Client Update 2009-001 from Apple "Addresses issues with
roaming and network selection in dual-band environments." The update
corresponds with Apple's release of the new AirPort Extreme which is
capable of simultaneously handling connections in both 2.4 GHz and 5
GHz. The update is available via Software Update and Apple's Web
site, and is recommended for all Intel-based Macintosh computers
running Mac OS X 10.5.6. (Free update, 2 MB)
Battery Update 1.4 from Apple improves the capability of the MacBook
battery in models produced from late 2006 to late 2008 to hold
charges when the system has been shut down and in a state of disuse
for an extended period of time. More information on the update,
including steps users can take to determine if they need to install
the update, is available on Apple's Web site. This update is
currently available only from Apple's Support Downloads page. (Free
update, 210 KB)
Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.5 from Apple adds raw file
compatibility for Aperture 2, iPhoto '08, and iPhoto '09 for the
Nikon D3X and Epson R-D1x cameras. The update also addresses
undisclosed issues for specific cameras and improves overall
stability. The update is available via Software Update or Apple's
Web site. (Free update, 3.81 MB)
Adobe Lightroom 2.3 and Camera Raw 5.3 from Adobe provide raw file
compatibility for the Nikon D3X and Olympus E-30 cameras. The
Lightroom update also addresses a memory leak and other unspecified
issues with Adobe's professional photography application. The Camera
Raw update is available for owners of Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop
Elements 6 for Mac (as well as Photoshop Elements 7 and Premiere
Elements 7 for Windows). (Free updates, 33.1 MB/41.6 MB)
Checkup 2.1 from App4mac is a maintenance update to the multipurpose
maintenance utility. Changes include an improved user interface,
support for RAID disks, improved support for Spaces, new
documentation, and a handful of unnamed bug fixes. For more on
CheckUp, see Joe Kissell's review of version 1.0, "CheckUp 1.0: A
Beautiful but Unripe Maintenance Utility," 2008-02-29. (19 euros,
free update, 16.7 MB)
ExtraBITS for 09-Mar-09
-----------------------
by TidBITS Staff
article link:
**Massive Apple Memorabilia Fundraiser** -- It's the situation all
freelancers dread: a troubled economy, a lack of health insurance,
and impending medical costs. That has led graphic designer and
long-time TidBITS reader Blair Saldanah to part with one of the
largest collections of Apple memorabilia we've ever seen. He has
items from the very beginning of Macintosh history, so if you
collect Apple t-shirts, posters, keychains, brochures, disks, or
hardware, now's a good chance to add to your collection and help out
a fellow Mac user. Prices are negotiable. (Posted 2009-03-06)
**Wall Street Journal Quotes Adam about App Store Competition** --
Will Apple allow independent App Store knock-offs that provide apps
Apple won't allow (perhaps only on jailbroken iPhones)? We'll see
soon enough, as the wraps are about to come off the Cydia Store.
Adam comments on the possibility that an independent store could
provide a better experience for developers. (Posted 2009-03-06)
**MacTech Posts Updated Virtualization Benchmarks** -- Although raw
processing performance is by no means the main criterion when it
comes to choosing a virtualization product for running Windows on a
Mac, it does have a role. MacTech has now completed their latest
tests of Parallels Desktop 4 and VMware Fusion 2. (Posted
2009-03-05)
**Kindle 2 and Kindle for iPhone on Your Mac Life** -- Glenn talks
about the Kindle 2 and Amazon's new Kindle for iPhone application,
how easy it is to read on either device, and what makes a book
"booky" on Your Mac Life. Also, Peter Cohen, Lesa King, and Mark
Gollin. (Posted 2009-03-04)
**Roku Player Officially Gains Amazon Video on Demand Access** --
Amazon.com's Video on Demand service, which offers a catalog of over
40,000 movies and TV shows for rental or purchase, is now accessible
via the $99 Roku Digital Video Player. The partnership, announced in
January 2009 and officially cemented on Tuesday, extends the Roku
Digital Video Player's capabilities beyond Netflix's Watch Instantly
feature. (Posted 2009-03-04)
**The MacJury Considers Kindle 2 Speech Synthesis** -- This MacJury
podcast looks at whether authors are justified in trying to
establish a separate right for books to be read aloud using
text-to-speech technology, specifically in the Amazon Kindle 2.
Chuck Joiner hosts a conversation with Bryan Chaffin, Peter Cohen,
Glenn Fleishman, Ted Landau, and Keith Lang. (Posted 2009-03-04)
**More AirPort Extreme/Time Capsule Update Detail** -- Macworld offers
Glenn's deeper look at some of the new features found in the AirPort
Extreme and Time Capsule hardware update, and how you can make use
of them. (Posted 2009-03-03)
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk for 09-Mar-09
----------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson
article link:
**Safari's 3.x RSS Database3 file corruption problems** -- A corrupted
RSS feed may be the cause of problems reading news in Safari;
checking against an online feed validator can help identify the
culprit. (3 messages)
**Kindle 2 Improves Design, Not Features** -- Does the Kindle's new
text-to-speech feature pose a threat to audiobooks? Readers respond
to Glenn's article. (5 messages)
**Time Machine vs. Retrospect** -- Both backup approaches have their
pros and cons, both of which get the full TidBITS Talk treatment.
(42 messages)
**Cheap, Small Netbooks** -- Is buying a netbook worth living with its
limitations? For people who value small size and low price, the
answer is yes. (17 messages)
**Why the Kindle 2 Should Speak When Permitted To** -- Readers
continue to debate the Kindle's text-to-speech feature, and whether
authors should have any say in the matter. (38 messages)
**Time Machine vs. Retrospect (and Stolen Laptop Redux)** -- The
discussion of backing up data turns to offsite, Internet backups. (2
messages)
**AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule: Like Two Base Stations in One** -- Is
the price difference between the low and high end Time Capsule
models inflated? (7 messages)
**Binding AppleScript to a hotkey in Mail** -- It's possible to create
a key combination that runs an AppleScript script in Mail, but other
third-party options are also available. (4 messages)
**H.264 Decoding in New Macs** -- The graphics processors in Apple's
newest machines greatly increase the performance of H.264 video
encoding. (2 messages)
**Amazon Releases Kindle Software for iPhone** -- Readers discuss
Amazon's move to let iPhone and iPod touch owners buy and read
electronic books using its Kindle software. (4 messages)
**AirPort Utility Update May Be Problematic** -- The TidBITS Talk
community pitches in to help diagnose a problem with the latest
AirPort Utility software. (14 messages)
$$
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